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Book Clubs

Time of meeting: August 14, 6:30 pm. The Page Turners will be having a Readers’ Choice, during which they will give a 5-minute synopsis of a chosen title for the group to consider as a selection for the coming year.

They invite everyone to come to the meeting to suggest a title for their consideration.

Crosby Book Club will meet Friday, July 20 at 2 pm to discuss My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. Researched extensively and based on thousands of letters and original sources, this is the story of an adventurous, revolutionary woman, the wife of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Eliza, a loyal patriot, independent thinker, compassionate advocate for those in need, and a mother of 8, was a fascinating individual with the strength of character to help shape a nation.

Title to be discussed: Operation Mincemeat: how a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the Nazis and assured an allied victory by Ben Macintyre. Date of meeting: Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Summary: From the acclaimed author of "Agent Zigzag" comes an extraordinary account of the most successful and strangest deception of World War II. Unveiling never-before-released material, Ben Macintyre weaves the near-impossible feats of intelligence officers and spies into a riveting adventure that not only saved thousands of lives but paved the way for a pivotal battle in Sicily and, ultimately, Allied success in the war.

Crosby Book Club will meet Friday, June 15, at 2 pm to discuss Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. Published posthumously, Haruf's last novel is the story of two lonely septuagenarians and their tender, late in life love. Our Souls at Night quietly considers the value of living in the present and appreciating the simple pleasures in life.

See the movie adaptation of the book, starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, on Netflix.

Title to be discussed: Calling me home by Julie Kibler. Date of meeting: June 12, 6:30 p.m. Summary: "Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister wants her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis, a black single mom, to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas to a funeral in Cincinnati. Dorrie agrees, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives. Isabelle confesses that in 1930s Kentucky, she fell in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family's housekeeper. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle's first and greatest love might help Dorrie find her own way."

We are happy to reveal that our June Book Club selection is Shari Lapeña’s The Couple Next Door.

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all-a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. One hot summer night they are invited to a dinner party next door, and a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents, but the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the Conti's house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets they’ve kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family-a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness.

May activities are up on the library's event calendar. Check out the many programs and services that are available to you here. Proudly serving the community of Cypress since 1984, Northwest Branch Library strives to provide innovative services, programs, and activities for customers of all ages. If you would like to ask a question about a particular service or program, please contact the Northwest Branch Library at 832-927-5460 or via email at nw@hcpl.net.

Title to be discussed: The tea girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. Date of meeting: May 8, 6:30 p.m. Summary: "Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. Then one day a stranger arrives in the village. Li-yan translates for the stranger and is among the first to reject the rules that have shaped her existence. When she has a baby outside of wedlock, rather than stand by tradition, she wraps her daughter in a blanket, with a tea cake hidden in her swaddling, and abandons her in the nearest city."

Crosby Book Club will meet on Friday, April 20 at 2 pm in the meeting room. We will discuss The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel. This is the true account of Christopher Knight, who so preferred solitude to society, he lived alone in the Maine woods for nearly three decades, sleeping in a tent, and conversing with no one. How did Knight survive the bitterly cold winters, isolated and undetected, for so long? And why would he choose this extreme lifestyle in the first place?

If you like comics and graphic novels then you won't want to miss out on the book club starting at South Houston Branch Library in April. Tweens ages 8 to 13 are invited to join our Tween Graphic Novel Club, where we will discuss and take part in fun activities related to different Graphic Novel titles. This is a three session program that starts on Thursday, April 5 at 5:00 PM. Space is limited and registration is required. Please call the library at 832-927-5530 to sign up.